Dearly Departed
by kangaleigh
Summary: They were helpless and only had each other. All they could do, was wait.
1. No

**A/N: I am dedicating this story to Ellie-forensicgirl-NCIS16, because she totally rocks! She proofread my story for me to make sure it didn't suck and there weren't any mistakes. She said I was good to go so here I am! No spoilers that I can think of. Unless you count the fact that Ziva is in Israel. Major sadness in the story, too. You have been warned! There are 5 chapters in total. I think I am going to try this one chapter per day thing that seems to be so popular lately. Torture is what I call it. You know who you are!**

**P.S. Please DO NOT message me on the inaccuracies of the D.C. geography!**

* * *

"Gibbs, I can just call a taxi."

"No."

"I don't even live near you."

"No."

"There is no point in you driving out of your way just to take me home."

"No."

Abby huffed and put her hands on her hips. "You saying 'no' repeatedly is not going to make me change my mind!"

A small smile graced Gibbs' lips. "No?"

Abby tried to force it back, but eventually she smiled as well. "Fine. But I'm giving you gas money!"

"No."

* * *

Gibbs placed his hand on Abby's back as they walked from the elevator through the parking garage. "Why do you always do that?" Abby asked.

"Do what?"

"Place your hand on my back? Is it because you love me?" she teased.

"No, its because if I don't you will wander off and I will spend the next 45 minutes waiting for you to say goodbye to whoever we come in contact with." Abby stopped in her tracks and stared at Gibbs unbelievingly. "What?"

"Seriously?!"

"And because I love you." Abby slapped the back of her hand against his side. "Ow! Hey!"

"That didn't hurt, you wuss."

* * *

"Do you see that?" Abby said as they approached the highway in Gibbs' car.

"Yup." It was backed up all the way to the entrance ramp.

"We could take the back way," she suggested. "It would be a longer trip but probably shorter on time than sitting through that mess."

"Yeah." Gibbs turned around in an empty parking lot and headed in the other direction.

"At least it stopped raining."

"Yup."

"I like to drive this way when I want to be alone. There is a really neat cemetery off one of the back roads."

"Hmm."

"Plus, I hardly ever see any cars this way. You could drive as fast as you want." She smiled at him encouragingly. But she got nothing in return. Her face went to slightly annoyed. "You know, in case you are in hurry to get rid of me."

"Yeah."

"Gibbs!"

He quickly turned his head towards her for a second. "What?"

"You weren't even listening to me, were you?"

"No." Abby slouched down in the seat and crossed her arms in front her, staring out the windshield. They rode in silence for a while; Gibbs concentrating on the road, Abby watching the scenery as best she could with only the headlights to illuminate the area in front of her.

Abby suddenly gasped and shot up in her seat, putting her left arm out in front of her and the right one to the side holding the door.

"Oh shi-," Gibbs started to say as he was coming around the corner and saw the deer standing in the middle of the lane. He quickly tried to change lanes, but the back wheels caught a puddle and they hydroplaned out of control. The backend spun around to the front and he wasn't able to move around the corner. They went straight off the road and down the hill. The corner of the backend, hit a tree causing them to spin around and roll over. Gibbs forehead hit the steering wheel a second before the airbag exploded., throwing his head back against the seat. He thought he heard Abby say his name, but couldn't hear much of anything over the crunching metal of the car, shattering of glass and ringing in his head. The car finally came to a stop once it hit a tree at the bottom.


	2. The Deer

**A/N: Okay, so I was able to wait. And, yes, I know what the title is! Its like that for a reason!**

* * *

Gibbs felt as though he was still spinning even after the car came to a halt. He groaned as he tried to move his neck. He slowly opened his eyes to see not much of anything in front of him. His headlights were still on…somehow…and all he saw were trees. Upside-down trees? He realized his arms were hanging "above" his head. The car had landed on its top. He looked over to the passenger seat to see Abby.

It wasn't good.

She appeared to be unconscious. There was blood dripping down her, but he couldn't be sure where it was coming from in the dim light. "Abby?" he said. She didn't even stir. "Abby?…Abby, wake up." He reached over and gently tugged on her arm. "Abbs?" She groaned slightly. Not much, but enough to let Gibbs know she was alive. He went to try his buckle, bracing himself with one arm to the ground. He screamed as he put pressure on his left wrist. Taking a look at it, he saw it already looked swollen. It looked broken. He positioned himself so he would land on his arm instead of his wrist and tried at the buckle, but it wouldn't unlock. He tried again but still nothing. Thinking much quicker than he thought he should have been able to, he reached for his belt and found his pocket knife still attached to it. Once he was free of the belt, he screamed out loud as his left leg fell. He hadn't realized while hanging upside-down that his leg was hurting. He could tell now, though, that is was definitely broken.

He crawled the best he could slowly out of the car. His body ached. His head was throbbing. His left wrist was screaming. Feeling something running down his forehead, he wiped at it. Blood. Touching where it was throbbing, there was a lot of blood. He could feel the deep gash. He didn't have time to think about that right now though.

He slowly pulled himself over to the other side of the car. "Abby? Can you move?" She didn't answer. She had passed out again. He saw blood dripping down her face and from her head. He wasn't sure how to get her out with her unconscious without hurting her more. "Come on, Abs. I really need your help here," he said more to himself than to her.

"It hurts, Gibbs," she barely whispered back.

"I know, but I need to get you out. I need you to help me." He took his knife from his pocket and held it out to her. "Can you cut yourself out of the belt? I'll catch you to make sure you don't fall."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry."

"I broke the rule."

"What rule?"

"I forgot my knife."

"It's okay. Take mine." She finally opened her eyes and looked over at him. "Let's get you out of there, okay?" She eyed the knife and carefully took it from his hand. She cried out as she tried to turn toward the buckle. Gibbs saw a stream of blood start pouring down. Abby dropped the knife as she instinctively reached for her stomach. Gibbs looked to where she was holding herself but couldn't se much of anything with the belt and her hand in the way.

He knew he had to get her out of there now. He reached behind her and grabbed the knife and started slicing at the belt. When it started getting close to snapping from her unsupported weight, he said, "I need you to brace yourself." She reached overhead and placed one hand above her. "Use both hands." She reluctantly removed the other hand from her stomach. It was coated red. Gibbs could smell the strong stench of blood. It was almost overwhelming. He got up onto his knees. Even with the break below his knew, it still hurt like hell. Using his right arm, he tried to wrap it around her chest as well as he could to prevent her from falling on her head. He squinted and gritted his teeth in pain as his left hand with the broken wrist tried to slice through the rest of the belt. It soon gave out and Abby was free.

She and Gibbs both cried out again as she was pulled from the car. Gibbs laid her on the ground, lying next to her. She had her arms across her stomach. Getting himself into a sitting position, he could see her shirt soaked in blood. He reached down to move her arms, but she moaned and wouldn't let him. "I need to see how bad it is, Abby." He took one of her wrists in his right hand, left held close to him, and pulled it away. Lifting her shirt slightly, he saw what had her in so much pain. She had a big open gash starting near the middle of her stomach and off to her left side. Gibbs felt queasy. He had seen a lot of crime scenes and war injuries to know the amount of blood she was losing was dangerously close to fatal. And that was just the injury he could see.

Gibbs looked away, not able to look her in the face either. He closed his eyes trying to think about what was going to happen. "That bad, huh?" she asked quietly.

"No."

"You're lying." He finally turned around to look at her. Even with her blurry vision, she could see blood and tears running down his cheeks. "Oh, God," she said, turning her head away. She could feel her own tears in her eyes. She knew by Gibbs look it was serious. "Am I gonna die?"

Gibbs didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer. Instead, he looked towards the car. "Do you have your cell phone?" When she didn't answer, he looked back at her. She had one hand on her stomach and the other over her eyes. He could see her body shaking. "Abby," he scooted across the ground to get closer to her head. "I know it seems bad right now, but I need you here with me." She sobbed and Gibbs gently took a hold of her hand, moving it away from her face. "If you want to get out of here, I need you to focus."

"I'm not going to make it out of here," she said, barely audible.

It broke Gibbs' heart because he knew there was a chance she was right. They heard some rustling of leaves and breaking branches coming from near the road. He looked towards it, but couldn't see much of anything but a shadow. "Hello?" he called out, causing Abby to try to look in the same direction. There was no answer back. His eyes finally adjusted as the shadow approached the car. It was the deer. It had reached the bottom and stood a few yards away from them, slightly visible in the glow from the headlights.

"She's beautiful," Abby said, staring at the creature. The deer laid down on the ground and continued to watch Abby and Gibbs. "I'm glad you didn't hit her."

"Your cell phone?" Gibbs asked again.

"It was in my bag. I charged it before I left. It should be full battery." She continued to stare at the deer. She appeared to be more calm having something to focus on. Gibbs made a move towards the car. "As long as it isn't broken," she added.

Gibbs got onto his stomach and pulled himself back towards the car. Looking inside, he saw her bag tossed into the backseat. It was just out of his reach. Moving closer, he was able to hook his fingers around the strap. He unzipped the bag and found her cell. Opening it up, he was thankful to see it still working. Only problem was, he had no signal. He looked all around the front and back for his phone, but couldn't find it. It had been sitting in one of the center cup holders. With all the thrashing around, he was fairly certain it was no longer there. Double checking to be sure, he found he was correct.

He crawled his way back to her and collapsed. He took a few deep breaths and then rolled over onto his back right next to her. He was still panting, clutching her bag. "Are you alright?" she asked, finally turning her head to look at him.

He had his eyes closed and was trying to catch his breath. "A little nauseous." Once he felt it had passed, he opened his eyes and looked to her. She was still looking at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Cold. Tired." Her eyes followed the trail of blood up his cheek to his head where the big gash was. "What other injuries do you have?"

"Its not important."

"It is," she said. "At least distract me. Did you break anything?"

"Left leg and wrist. Bump to the head."

"That's more than a bump."

"And you?"

"I think I hit my head. It really hurts. So does my arm and my stomach. I must have some internal bleeding." Gibbs closed his eyes again. "Look at me," she said. He did. "You can't fall asleep. You won't wake up."

_I don't think I want to_, he thought. He brought her bag up and laid it on his chest. Feeling around inside he found her phone. "Still no signal." He tried dialing 911 anyway, but it wouldn't connect. He turned his head, which hurt his neck like hell, to look up towards the road. He couldn't really see it. He wasn't sure how far up it was. "I'm going to go up to the road. See if I can flag someone down."

"Your leg is broken."

"I can still do it."

"No one drives down here, remember?"

"You're supposed to be the optimist."

"I'm not feeling very optimistic. Just cold."

Gibbs looked towards the car. The headlights were shining onto a tree. Figuring it was better than nothing, he sat up. "Come on. We're moving."

"I don't want to move. I can't."

"You can and I'm going to help you." He turned to face her so his back was towards the tree. "I need you to use your legs to help push us along. This may hurt a bit." He helped get her into a position in front of him. He wrapped his left arm around her chest and placed his right on the ground behind him. "You ready? We don't have far to go." His gaze caught onto the deer's still laying down in front of them.

Abby, who was also still looking at the deer, said "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Together Gibbs used his arm behind him and his good leg to help pull Abby along while she used her legs to push them. They both groaned in pain as they made there way a few yards to the tree in front of the headlights. Once they reached it, Gibbs leaned against the tree and Abby lay her head in his lap. "It feels warmer here." Gibbs shrugged out of his sport coat and lay it across her. "Thanks."

The deer stood from her spot and walked towards them. She stopped only 10 feet from where they were and laid in front of them again. "This is your fault, you know?" Gibbs said to the deer.

"What?" Abby asked.

"Not you. Her."

"She's a helpless animal. Leave her be." Abby was still speaking in a hushed tone. Gibbs tilted his head back against the tree. Soon , he felt Abby moving around. Be fore he got a chance to tell her to stay still, she said, "I need to be close to you." She slowly moved herself so she was laying across his lap on her right side, her arm was bent up over her chest to avoid laying on it.

"I'm going up," Gibbs said, stroking her left arm. "I need to find us some help."

"You won't be able to make it with a broken leg. I'll go up there."

"You aren't going anywhere. You've already lost…" Gibbs trailed off. He didn't want her to know how bad it was. He felt the tears in his eyes again as he thought of Abby bleeding out in his lap.

"Someone is much more likely to stop for a woman than a man. A hurt woman means she needs rescued. A hurt man means he is a serial killer. No one will see you lying on the ground." Gibbs gently hand his thumb across her cheek. If she went up there, she would never make it back down. At least lying here, she was alive. "Sometimes you are too easy to read."

"How is that?"

"You think I'm gonna die."


	3. I Can Only Imagine

**A/N: My favorite chapter! As much as I love this song, it makes me sad.**

* * *

Gibbs checked the cell phone again. Still nothing. He was at a lost of what to do. He wanted to climb up to the road, but with his broken leg he wasn't sure he could make it. Plus, that meant leaving Abby behind and he needed to stay with her. The cell didn't have any service. He wasn't able to call anyone for help. No one lived down this stretch of road. Even if they did, chances are they wouldn't see the car down here. He felt so helpless. He did something he hadn't done in a long time. He closed his eyes and prayed.

He heard a noise coming from inside the trees somewhere. He turned his head in the direction and groaned. The deer's head also shot up and looked in the direction the noise had been coming from. She stood from her spot on the ground, looking as if she was hesitating. She took a few steps forward, passed the two of them on the ground. She looked back once before heading into the darkness.

"Weird," Abby said weakly. Gibbs kept staring, trying to listen for anymore noises, but heard none. "You still with me?"

"Yeah." Gibbs felt so tired, so drained. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and wake up in bed with a hangover. Just as he was about to drift off, Abby's voice brought him back.

"Sing to me."

"Sing to you?"

"Sing to me. I need to know you're…awake." She was thinking 'alive', but thought that bad Karma to say.

"You don't want to hear me sing."

"If I'm gonna die-".

"Don't say that."

Abby sighed. She had had tears silently falling down her cheeks for a while now. "I've already lost so much…I don't know how I'm still conscious." Truth was, Gibbs didn't either, but he thanked God that she was. "Please, sing to me."

Gibbs closed his eyes, a tear escaping down his cheek. "Any request?" he whispered. He really didn't want to sing, but how could he deny her of this?

"_I Can Only Imagine_." She turned her head as best she could to look at him. He opened his eyes to meet hers. "Do you know it?" Another tear slid down his cheek as he nodded yes. He softly touched her face before turning her head back away. He didn't want her to see how scared he was feeling. Taking another look back into the woods, he sang her song.

"_I can only imagine, when that day comes  
__When I find myself standing in the Son.  
__I can only imagine, when all I do,  
__Is forever, forever worship You.  
__I can only imagine. I can only imagine._

"_Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?  
__Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?  
__Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?  
__Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?  
__I can only imagine. I can only imagine."_

Gibbs wiped at the tears on his cheeks. Abby would pick a song like that. He saw her bring her hands, or fingers, together again and again. _More_, he thought. He wasn't sure if he could. He saw her rub her hand in a small circle on her chest. _Please_.

"_Surrounded by Your Glory_," he cried, "_what will my heart feel?"_ He sobbed, not being able to do it.

Abby started softly singing, "_Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?_"

Gibbs joined her, "_Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?_" Both stopped singing.

"I can only imagine," Abby said.

"I can only imagine."

They heard the snapping of branches coming from the trees again. Gibbs didn't guess it to be something big. He instinctively held his arm to Abby's chest tighter. He searched the tree line for any signs of anything. There was a shadow just out of reach. He could tell it was making its way closer to them. He felt a sigh of relief come from Abby, who he hadn't realized had been holding her breath, when they saw the same deer emerge from the darkness. She walked further into the clearing and stopped to look back. Following her gaze, they saw a little fawn follow her out into the light.

"Look at that," Abby said.

The mother, or they assumed she was, stood near where she had been lying before. The fawn followed her over and sniffed at the spot on the ground. The mother gently nudged it and the fawn sat down. The mother walked around the car, looking on the ground. She sniffed the area as if looking for something. She stepped outside of the light, towards the road. It looked as if she had picked something up from off the ground but he couldn't see what it was. She disappeared heading up to the road, leaving her baby behind. The fawn whimpered a little as its mother disappeared. It looked over to Abby and Gibbs and then lay down.


	4. For You Anything

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I know you all have some concerns. I would like to take a quick moment to answer some of your questions:  
****Yes  
****No  
****HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
****Are you kidding me?!?  
****There is a romantic "Gabby" moment.**

* * *

The clouds cleared and the moon finally made its appearance. It didn't do much in the way of light though. It wasn't even half full. But being able to look up in the sky and see something comforted Abby immensely. She knew she didn't have much longer. She should have been gone already. She had been laying in Gibbs' lap, trying to make sense of it all. She always believed that everything happened for a reason, even if that reason didn't make sense to her. Why this? Why her? Why him? Why now?

She wasn't feeling any pain. Not physical pain. Not anymore. She was too cold to feel anything. Her mind barely registered Gibbs' arm across her front. She deduced that she was in shock. That alone was dangerous. Her guess was Gibbs was in shock as well. She could feel him trembling against her. Every now and then she would hear a ragged, rattling breath escape him. The gash on his head was serious. There was no way he didn't have at least a concussion, though she thought it was much more serious than he was letting on. If he fell asleep, there was a chance he would never wake up. "You still with me?"

"I won't leave you, Abby."

"Any luck with the phone?"

Gibbs picked the cell up off the ground next to him. "No," he said somberly.

"Doesn't matter I guess."

"You'll be okay."

"Stop saying that!" she snapped.

Gibbs didn't know what to say. He had been saying it more for his benefit than for hers. "I can't…just accept it."

Abby cringed as she turned onto her back to look up at Gibbs. He was looking off in the direction of the fawn still laying near by. He didn't want to look at her. He couldn't stand to see the hurt and pain in her eyes, all over her face. He had said he would keep her safe, and he had failed her. "Look at me," she said. He shook his head. "Look at me."

"No."

"Leroy Jethro, you look at me…Please," she pleaded with him. She saw him squeeze his eyes shut before looking down at her. The look on her face was so calm, so serene. "This isn't how I thought it would happen. I always thought I would have my own sexy silver hair and go in a mosh pit due to exertion." Gibbs chuckled. "Hey, a laugh." He rubbed his hand over her forehead and into her hair. He felt as cold as she did. She smiled up at him. He couldn't help but smile back to her as well.

The headlights flickered once. Twice. Then finally went out, plunging them into darkness. Abby felt Gibbs' arm on her tighten. "I'm still here," she said reassuring both of them. They heard some rustling around. As Gibbs' eyes started to adjust the best they could, he saw the outline of the little fawn stand from the ground. Abby's eyes stay focused on the area Gibbs' face had been. Her vision was blurry and she wasn't able to adjust to the sudden darkness.

She felt something cold nuzzle her cheek and started. "Its ok," Gibbs said. "Just the deer."

"Its licking me," she said, feeling it small rough tongue lapping at the salty tear streaks down her cheeks. Gibbs saw the outline of the creature lie down next to Abby's head. She turned her head to face it. It rested it's head on Gibbs' knee. "Friendly little thing, huh?"

"How…" Gibbs started, but wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to ask. "How can you be so calm?"

"I'm here with you. I feel…safe, with you. If I could choose anyone to be here with me, I would definitely choose, okay, well, I would choose Ducky first since he is a doctor, but you are a very close second." She turned her head back to Gibbs, even though she could no longer see him. "I'm scared," she muttered to him.

Gibbs made a sound and she couldn't tell if it was a sob or a chuckle. "God, Abbs. I'm terrified."

"Why?"

Gibbs thought about it. He was a man of faith, or he used to be, but he was also a man who believed in the facts. There were so many things he wasn't sure about. And he did not like going forth into the unknown. "I don't know," he finally said.

"You'll make it. You are so tough. You'll survive."

"You are the strongest person I know, Abby."

"I don't feel very strong," she said turning her head back to the fawn next to her.

"Abbs-".

"Will you lay with me?" she asked, cutting him off.

"You shouldn't move."

"Are you gonna make me beg?"

Gibbs' leg, wrist and head, hell, his whole body throbbed and ached. He even had a dull cramp in his abdomen. He knew if he moved, he would awaken all the pain receptacles that had numbed away. But Abby wasn't going to last much longer. He knew it. She knew it. As much as he wanted to believe everything would work its self out, he knew this was it. He had to give her what she wanted.

Just like he always did.

"Are you able to sit up?" he asked her. He needed to get his legs out from underneath her. He felt the fawn raised its' head from his knee.

"I'm gonna need some help," said Abby. Gibbs placed his right arm underneath Abby's shoulders and pushed her up gently. He lowered himself onto his right elbow and pulled himself forward, trying to move his leg as little as possible. Abby's hand was over her stomach and she felt a fresh wave of warm liquid leave her body. She became very light headed and nauseous.

Gibbs bit down on the inside of his cheek as he grabbed his knee and pulled his leg over so Abby could lie down. He sat up and put his arm back across her shoulders. "Okay, ready?" Those words had a whole different meaning to Abby. She was too nauseous to say anything and nodded her head, even though Gibbs couldn't see her. To show her point, she leaned back against him and he lowered her down next to him.

He laid on his right side as much as he could with his broken leg. She was on her back, resting on his arm. Both of her arms were laying on her stomach. Gibbs laid his head down on her shoulder. She lifted her arm and placed it around him. The fawn laid down next to her other side, pressing up against her with its warm body. "Thank you," she said.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"I was just thanking her for staying with us."

Gibbs leaned in and nuzzled his nose against her before placing a long, soft kiss on her cheek. "I love you…so much, Abby," he barely whispered into her ear. They could both feel tears starting to well up and pick at their eyes.

"God, Gibbs, if you are just saying that-".

"I'm not. I wouldn't." He got real close to her ear and breathed out a barely audible, "I love you." A tear rolled down his cheek and she sobbed.

He placed his left arm across her body and turned more into her. Feeling the soft fur of the fawn next to her, he gently petted it. "I love you, too," Abby said once her sobs subsided enough for her to speak. "I love you, too." He tilted his head and kissed her cheek again. When he pulled back she whispered, "Kiss me." Turning her head to him, Gibbs easily found her lips. They felt so cold to him, and yet so warm, so Abby. All too soon, she pulled away, her head falling to the side. "I'm so tired," she said weakly.

"No," he said, sobs causing his whole body to shake. He placed his throbbing forehead down on her shoulder. "I can't. I can't let you go. I'm not ready. I can't," he pleaded with her.

"Will you ever be ready?"

He cried uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. I'm so…sorry…I did this to you."

"Don't be. Please stop crying. Don't let this be the last thing I remember."

"Can you just hold on? Just for a little bit longer? Please?"

"For you, Gibbs, I would do anything."


	5. Why

**Twist!**

* * *

Ducky walked into autopsy late one evening on his way out to make sure Palmer had turned everything off and closed up. He was surprised to see the young man still there. The only light in the room was a small lamp lit on the desk Jimmy was sitting at. His back was towards Ducky and he was slumped forward. "Mr. Palmer, what are you still doing here?"

"I just…don't understand," he said quietly. Ducky walked over closer to Jimmy and could see him with two autopsy/case reports lying open in front of him. Ducky sighed. The last two days Jimmy had been obsessed with reading and re-reading Gibbs' and Abby's autopsy reports. He had been unusually quiet. Ducky had been trying to get him to open up. It was late, but if the boy was ready to talk now, Ducky would listen. Jimmy looked up at Ducky. "This can't be right."

"I assure you, it is correct. I'm not happy about it, but its correct."

"He went an hour after her. He could have been helped. Its like he just…gave up."

"He had a serious concussion, swelling of the brain, not to mention massive internal bleeding. He shouldn't have lasted as long as he did. Same with…with poor, dear Abigail."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did they…last so long?"

"God works in mysterious ways, Mr. Palmer."

"And he saw it fitting that they suffer?" Jimmy stood up, taking Gibbs' report with him to the empty autopsy table.

"We do not know that they suffered."

"With these injuries?" Jimmy slammed a hand down on the table.

Ducky just stared at the distraught man before him. He had never seen Jimmy so upset before. He was acting very unlike himself. But he had been ever since Abby and Gibbs were found. "It is most likely they were unconscious. That they didn't feel anything."

"They didn't land there like that," Jimmy said flipping through pages until he came to the photo of Gibbs and Abby lying on the ground. Jimmy stepped aside for Ducky to take a look. He came up to the table and stood next to Jimmy. Looking down at the photo, Gibbs and Abby were lying a few feet in front of the up turned car. Abby was on her back, Gibbs on his side. His head was on her shoulder. His right arm was under her head, his left across her stomach. Abby's left arm was still around Gibbs, her right also lying across her stomach above Gibbs' arm.

And then there were the deer.

When Tony and McGee had arrived to where the GPS said Gibbs' phone was, they saw a deer sitting on the side of the road. The deer stood when the men exited the vehicle and they saw Gibbs' phone lying on the ground next to her. The deer had turned around and started making its way down the hill. She had stopped to turn around to see if the two men were following her. McGee went to pick up the phone and saw the heartbreaking scene down below. At least, that's what Tony claimed.

Tony had taken a few photos of the fawn laying with Gibbs and Abby because he knew it was something Abby would like. The mother deer had come down the hill and lay a few feet away, while the Agents were working. They had eventually tried to shoo both mother and baby away, but neither would budge and neither dared get close enough to physically try. When Ducky and Palmer had arrived, both deer were still present. But once Ducky had made it to the bottom, mother deer got up, as did the fawn, and the wandered back into the woods.

"Mr. Palmer," Ducky said, closing the file folder, "_I_ need to believe that they didn't suffer." Ducky started to leave. He looked back to Jimmy. He was bent over the autopsy table with his face in his hands. "Come on. You need to get home." Jimmy slightly raised his head so his chin was in his hands. He mumbled something, but Ducky couldn't make the words out. "What was that?"

"I never got to tell her," he said louder.

Ducky took a few steps closer. "Tell her what?"

Jimmy stood and turned to face the doctor. "That she…she was my best friend. And Agent Gibbs. He…" Jimmy trailed off and lowered his gaze to the floor, ever so slightly shaking his head.

"He was my best friend," Ducky said.

"You knew him better than anyone."

"True."

"So why didn't he go up to the road? Why didn't he try to get help?" Jimmy looked in to Ducky's eyes, silently pleading for an answer.

"His leg was broken."

"Even I know that wouldn't have stopped him." Ducky knew that was true. "He just laid there with her. Waiting to…to…_go_. Its like he just…gave up. Why?"

_Because he felt he had nothing left to live for_, Ducky thought. "Jimmy," Ducky said, placing his hands on the young man's shoulders, "That is a question I cannot answer. One we will never truly know the answer to within this lifetime."

Jimmy turned back to the file folder lying on the table. He fingered the top flap, debating whether or not to open it and dive into the gruesome accident trying to figure it all out; make it all make sense. Before he got a chance to eve open it, Ducky gently took it away. He walked over to the desk and picked up Abby's file as well. He opened the top desk drawer and set the folders in there. He turned off the small lamp. "It is a sad thing that we are mourning, but I do not believe that Abigail and Jethro would want this to take over our lives." He walked back over to Jimmy and gently grabbed his arm. Ducky started leading Jimmy out the door. "Let us not mourn the fact that they are gone tonight, but rejoice that they were here."

"How are we supposed to do that?"

"Do you like bourbon, Mr. Palmer?"

* * *

**A/N: I just want to quickly thank everyone who reviewed. Now let the hate mail begin!**


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